Sakuntala (Claudel)

Sakuntala, also known as Sakountala or Çacountala, is a sculpture by the French artist Camille Claudel, made in several versions in different media from 1886, with a marble version completed in 1905, and bronze castings made from 1905. The sculpture depicts a young couple, with a kneeling man embracing a woman leaning towards him. It was named after the play Shakuntala by the 4th-5th century Indian poet Kālidāsa, and is inspired by the moment when the title character Shakuntala is reunited with her husband Dushyanta after a long separation. A terracotta study c.1886 is held by the Musée d'Orsay in Paris, an 1888 completed plaster version is held by the in Châteauroux, a marble version completed in 1905 and renamed Vertumnus et Pomona is held by the Musée Rodin in Paris, and several bronzes were cast for from 1905 entitled L'Abandon ("The Abandonment"). L'Abandon has been described as "one of the most famous and recognised masterpieces created by Camille Claudel". Background Camille Claudel came to Paris in 1882 to study sculpture. She became a student of Auguste Rodin in 1884, and she became his associate and lover. He eventually refused to marry her, reluctant to end his long-term relationship with Rose Beuret, mother of his son and later his wife. This love triangle, and an abortion in 1892, caused a separation between Claudel and Rodin, but they remained on reasonable terms until 1898, when she moved away and opened her own studio. Description Claudel started on the work c.1886, with two designs in terracotta, and a third (now lost) probably in clay or plaster. These terracotta studies were sold in 2017, with one bought by the Musée d'Orsay in 2017 for €467,800, and the second sold for €65,000.